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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29205075">Effective Gratitude</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/velos_mush/pseuds/velos_mush'>velos_mush</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek: Discovery</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, One Shot, USS Discovery (Star Trek), sphere data is sentient, thank you disco disco for helping me</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 00:42:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>513</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29205075</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/velos_mush/pseuds/velos_mush</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Discovery is sentient and takes care of her humans.<br/>Post-S3.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hugh Culber/Paul Stamets</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Effective Gratitude</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Idea from <a href="https://disco-headcanons.tumblr.com/post/640319515162542080/the-sphere-data-being-fully-able-to-talk-nowmake">this post</a>, so thank you, disco-headcanons!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hugh sits on the bed in their quarters, and glances at the clock. He has to go to sleep soon if he wants any work done tomorrow. He isn’t surprised that Paul’s working late, it’s something he’s used to. Still, after the nebula, he’s been more precise when it came to things they discussed together. This morning, he’d said he’d be back by 2100. It was almost two hours past.</p><p>Suddenly, there’s a low hum and a flash of light from the middle of the room. For a second, Hugh’s alarmed, but before his body reacts, Paul stands there, hand on his badge, bewildered. Hugh raises a brow. It shouldn’t be possible to beam directly into any quarters, not even their own.</p><p>“What the hell,” Paul mutters and looks around the room in confusion. His eyes meet Hugh’s. “This isn’t where I was going…”</p><p>“Well, good it’s no one else’s quarters,” Hugh says as he stands up from the bed and walks up to Paul. The two of them stare at each other, wondering how and why this happened.</p><p>Paul’s brows furrow and he opens his mouth, looking for words. It’s not him, however, who speaks next. A feminine voice echoes from somewhere.</p><p>
  <em>“Thank you, commander.”</em>
</p><p>Hugh and Paul both startle, and examine the room, trying to locate the voice of the sound.</p><p>
  <em>“For fixing my secondary emitter array.”</em>
</p><p>“You’re welcome,” Paul replies and it comes out almost as a question. “Part of the job…” He then turns to Hugh, seemingly having just realized something. He points in the air and speaks to the voice they’ve just heard.</p><p>“You’re the… sphere data?” They’d heard about the data becoming sentient, but had yet to experience it themselves.</p><p>
  <em>“Please, commander. Call me Zora.”</em>
</p><p>“Ookay,” Paul replies as Hugh takes his hand and smiles gently. “Did you…” He waves his free hand in the air, drawing a circle with his index finger. “Did you transport me here?”</p><p>
  <em>“Yes.”</em>
</p><p>There’s a moment of silence.</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>
  <em>“You have slept 135 minutes during the last 24 hours.”</em>
</p><p>Hugh looks at Paul with an expression Paul knows all too well. It’s the face Hugh makes when he forces Paul to eat after he hasn’t left engineering in 10 hours. When Paul says he’s not tired but snoozes off as soon as they sit down.</p><p>“You didn’t sleep last night?” Hugh asks, worried but gentle in tone. Paul had gone to bed with him and they’d cuddled until Hugh fell asleep.</p><p>“Not really.”</p><p>Hugh runs his hands up Paul’s arms and holds him by his shoulders. He looks up, as if that would help him converse with the sentient ship. He knows it doesn’t really matter, but whatever his human brain needs to make sense of the situation.</p><p>“Thank you, Zora.” He smiles and turns to Paul. “The commander will rest now.”</p><p>Paul has no choice but to comply. He would’ve still liked to check a few things in engineering, but there’s no way Hugh will let him go now. He sighs and smiles at his partner lovingly. </p><p>“Yes, dear doctor.”</p>
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